Welcome to the Engaged Futures Catalyst Group

Welcome to the Engaged Futures Catalyst Group

This page provides all the background information about Engaged Futures and your role as a Catalyst within the project.

What is your role as a Catalyst?

What's expected of me?

To what degree and how you get involved is flexible. We are keen that this suits your preferences and availability. What we will ask of our Catalyst Group members is that you commit to learning alongside other participants, sharing your insights and expertise, and taking relevant actions in your own area of work.   

Some of the online consultation events will focus on specific themes whilst others will take a wider view of the future vision that has emerged from the first stage of the process. We hope that you will want to attend one or two of these events.  
If you can act as a convenor of a group whose perspectives would be important to include, we would be keen to support you to do this.  We will be inviting catalysts to let us know if they would like to convene a group to contribute to the Three Horizon process.

In stage 3 of the process, we will work together to develop tools and guidance to support the kinds of change that we collectively feel are important for the future. There will be opportunities to lead or support an area of this work as we move from conception to final design of tools and material on a range of topics/areas for action.  

What these topics or tools will be is not yet known. We will keep you updated of the progress of Three Horizons and any consultation opportunities via email.  

What's in it for me?

You will have the opportunity to feed your perspective and experiences directly into the process and will be part of a collective movement for change.  

This is a wonderful opportunity to act as an advocate for change and to deepen your understanding of the higher education system from multiple perspectives. We will share stories from the process, some of the background theory and provide opportunities for you to meet with people beyond your existing professional networks.  

Working Collectively and Inclusively

Change work is not necessarily comfortable. We are keen that Catalysts approach this work with an open mindset, prepared to be challenged and to challenge. Yet, this challenge needs to be constructive and respectful. We therefore ask that in any Engaged Futures related activity you work to practice the following values and behaviours:  

  • Listen with curiosity to the thoughts of others. Do not interrupt. Take turns to share.  
     
  • Use language that is accessible, avoid using insider language and acronyms if you can. Be ready to explain a term that is not understood by someone else in the group. 
     
  • Be prepared to challenge and be challenged in your thinking. 
     
  • Challenge ideas in a constructive way and do not negate someone else’s lived experience.  
     
  • Follow through on commitments or communicate to us if you are unable to fulfil something that you previously committed to.  
     
  • Ask for support should you need it, either from other catalysts or from NCCPE.  
     

The NCCPE is committed to working openly and inclusively. Our principles will be at the heart of how we develop this work.

Watch the Briefing Webinar

Find out what part which you will be play in the Engaged Futures project, and understand the 3Horizons framework we are working with. 

Engaged Futures Catalyst Briefing Webinar

Download the webinar slide deck

Engaged Futures: A Three Horizons Process

This work will use a methodology called Three Horizons. This is an approach to develop concrete actions leading to real systems change. Here is a short video explaining the approach.

An introduction to the 3 Horizons methodology

The four phases

Phase 1: Getting started

We are working with an Engaged Futures group, a small group of individuals with deep knowledge about the sector, to get our three horizon process started. We met with them on the 26th November to begin to map out the current system, Horizon 1 and to begin to imagine a radically different future, Horizon 3.

Phase 2: Consultation

In early 2025 we will invite you as a catalyst to contribute to our initial review of Horizon 1 (where the HE system is at now) and share your visions of Horizon 3 (where we want to get to in 2045).  

NCCPE and others with a vested interest in the project will create opportunities to get involved, including online surveys, consultation workshops, focus groups, and online interaction.   

You will have the opportunity to explore our draft maps of Horizon 1 and Horizon 3 and to share your own perspectives and insights. We will also be inviting you to share ideas of activities that are currently happening that are taking us towards the future, referred to as Horizon 2+ activities. You may also have examples of things that are hindering us moving towards our desired futures. 

You can contribute as an individual, but you might like to consult with others who you know have a unique and valuable perspective to bring. We will offer opportunities to do this as part of the consultation phase.   

Phase 3: Developing actions

The Engaged Futures Group will help us synthesise all the contributions we receive, to finesse our H1 map and H3 visions, and develop some potential priority areas for action. Using these are a starting point, catalysts identify, design and test some tools that will support these actions.

Phase 4: Mobilise change

Once the action areas have been developed, we will invite you to participate in taking action. You can do this as an individual or in a group, or as an organisation. 

Catalysts support us to influence further, involving others, sharing materials and promoting actions that will build aligned activity to realise the changes that we collectively seek. 

How to bring others into the Catalyst Group

We will be recruiting Catalysts throughout this project. 

At the moment, the majority of Catalysts are from within or working closely with Higher Education. We would like to build a diverse movement of individual, representative of the variety of professions and communities that work with and alongside HE. This might be in publishing, community activism, local government, educational, or research organisation. 

As topics emerge from the Three Horizon Mapping exercise, it will become apparent that we need to bring other voices into the conversation. We will work with you to identify who these voices might be and how we might meaningfully include them. 

Share with your networks

Q&A

The briefing webinar included the opportunity to ask questions. We collected and answered these on the Engaged Futures Catalyst Q&A board. You can continue to post questions here. We will aim to answer them within 7 days.  

Post your questions on our Q&A padlet

What's next

Next Catalyst Event: Research and Researchers in 2045

Online; Wednesday 09 April 2025 from 2-5pm.

Now that we have announced our themes for consultation, we are hosting the second of five conversations on Wednesday 09 April 2025. This will be centred around Research and Researchers in 2045.

If you feel that this theme is relevant to you and your

Lead your own conversation

If you are keen to host a consultation amongst your own networks you can find out more on our page all about Catalyst-Led Conversations.

Spread the Word!

We are keen to reach a diversity of people representing those working within, with, or adjacent to the higher education sector. Please help us and share this call with any people and groups you think should be contributing towards generating the kind of positive change that the sector needs by

Visit the Catalyst Group homepage where you can find out about all the current opportunities to get involved and understand more about where the project has got to so far.

Catalyst Group homepage